NEW YORK and LONDON, Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters today announced the 2017 top 100 most diverse and inclusive organizations globally as ranked by the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Index. This year, 35 new companies earned a top 100 spot on the index. The D&I Index demonstrates Thomson Reuters vision of delivering news, information and analytics to the global financial and corporate communities. The index ratings are informed by Thomson Reuters environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data, designed to transparently and objectively measure the relative performance of more than 6,000 companies and provide clients with differentiated insight.

The D&I Index is available on Thomson Reuters Eikon, as are the underlying diversity and inclusion metrics, which can be used to help financial professionals screen companies for long-term opportunities and risks in their investments. Scores of the D&I Index are calculated for each company for the Diversity, Inclusion, People Development and News Controversy pillars. Only companies with scores across all four pillars are assigned an overall score (the average of the pillar scores). The top 100 ranked companies with the best overall scores are selected for the Index.

"The global evidence is overwhelmingly clear, diversity is increasingly becoming a performance issue, a growth engine, and companies can no longer afford not to realize its societal benefits as well," said Debra Walton, managing director, customer proposition, Financial & Risk, Thomson Reuters. "Our research shows that over 1, 3, and 5-year periods companies that make investments and focus on ESG metrics can have a stronger stock performance and better long-term profitability. We remain committed to providing our global clients with exclusive access to this important data and information through our Diversity & Inclusion Index and metrics, thereby helping them to make better informed investment and socially responsible decisions."

Now in its second year, the D&I index continues to receive recognition from industry analysts across the globe:

Virginie O'Shea, research director at Aite Group, commented: "ESG investment has become a global phenomenon, reflecting the rising importance of factors such as diversity and inclusion to the investor community - on the part of both institutional and retail investors. Generational shifts are likely to fuel this trend further, along with the focus of national regulators and governments in encouraging corporate governance and socially responsible investment over the long-term."

Will Jan, vice president and lead analyst at Outsell, commented: "In an increasingly globalized business environment, diversity and inclusion is more critical than ever. Having access to such information to drive responsible decisions is a natural next step in the evolution of financial services."

Brad Bailey, research director, capital markets at Celent, commented: "As we continue to see growing interest in ESG investing, it is crucial to have transparent benchmarks for portfolio managers (PMs) and investors to ensure that they have a clear framework for the effective allocation of resources into companies with the most astute approaches to diversity."

"At Thomson Reuters, we understand that focusing on total societal impact is fundamental to driving long-term financial success," said Patsy Doerr, global head of corporate responsibility and inclusion at Thomson Reuters. "Creating the workforce of the future means building diverse teams which attract the best and brightest from around the world. The D&I Index helps investors and analysts identify the companies that are getting this right, helping them to make investment decisions that align with their values and the bottom line. We look forward to working with our customers to implement best-in-class strategies for sustainable business growth."

The D&I Index, launched in 2016, ranks the top 100 publicly traded companies globally with the most diverse and inclusive workplaces, as measured by 24 metrics across four key categories: Diversity, Inclusion, People Development and News Controversies. The Index is then calculated by weighing each metric based on importance in the market and how each company compares with its peers.

For more information about the D&I Index (Methodology, Factsheet) please visit http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/data-analytics/market-data/indices/diversity-index.html [http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/data-analytics/market-data/indices/diversity-index.html]

For a complete list of the Top 100 Most Diverse & Inclusive Organizations Globally, please visit: http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/openweb/documents/pdf/financial/diversity-and-inclusion-top-100-companies.pdf [http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/openweb/documents/pdf/financial/diversity-and-inclusion-top-100-companies.pdf]

To learn what top-ranked institutions are saying about the D&I index, please visit: http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/openweb/documents/pdf/financial/diversity-and-inclusion-quotes.pdf [http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/openweb/documents/pdf/financial/diversity-and-inclusion-quotes.pdf]

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